Play Dead I

I cannot waste even a microsecond of my time. I am truly fortunate for Suho to agree on teaching me, but it looks like I cannot be his disciple. Still, that is enough. By him 'agreeing' is a great deal already. It gives me hope!

"I might not be so helpless after all…"

After teaching me his own breathing method he is using in Akatrina that starry night, and being inspired by his magical swordsmanship… I dedicate myself to training.

"Kim Suho is that inspirational…"

Early morning at 4:00 am, I make sure to exhaust myself with my personal training before classes. While I rest, I proceed with Kim Suho's breathing method to circulate my magic power. And then repeat… An alternating exercise of physical training and meditation helps me move forward indefinitely.

I can briefly recall in 'The Novel's Extra' how Hajin is teaching Rachel this same breathing method.

~Hoooo…

I open my eyes feeling refreshed once more. I throw myself to another exercise, jogging around the Training Grounds to improve my stamina. Exercising with magic power flowing in my veins is the most efficient form of training! Time is gold, and is most precious when it is used. I must move forward.

Even if my legs can barely stand up, or my lungs are failing, or my head getting dizzy… I must push myself forward. This is uncharacteristic of me as I recall that this much effort is impossible for me if this is in my past life.

Is it the desire for survival that is spurring me forward?

I cannot tell. Maybe, I am just delusional.

There is a reason why I cannot begin training magic power the instance I wake up in this world. It is because I am unfamiliar with magic power. If I recklessly train with it, I might suffer injuries like a qi deviation from the martial arts fiction I usually peruse. I am not so foolish as to experiment with something I do not understand. 

I can also choose to simply train my physical abilities, but that will be too inefficient as even athletes will take years to accomplish their peak physique. That is why since waking in this world, I choose to spend my time establishing friendships and connections.

If I as much dabble with magic power without proper guidance, I can really die. Moreover, the thought of studying magic power without a proper foundation is so stupid! It is like asking a caveman to invent a form of martial arts after being informed what is oxygen.

It is not like I can ask the instructors to teach me magic power usage. I might as well drop out. Basic magic power usage has been a topic covered during the Agent Military Academy days. It will be the death of my dear instructor Kim Soohyuk if I suddenly beg him to teach me magic power usage.

Wednesday's first class. Anti-personnel Training.

It is Wednesday, and I hate Wednesdays... It is because of the Anti-personnel Training.

Simply put, it is a one-on-one sparring between cadets. This two-hour-long class is physically intensive, which I think will help me improve. But… damn… I hate getting whopped.

I can barely dodge the attacks coming at me. My sparring partner, a spear wielder keeps on thrusting his spear. Thankfully, the spear is blunt, but it still damn hurts when it connects. We can go all out as much as we like since we are only wielding training weapons, but taking into account the difference in our stats, I fear for my dear life.

The shiver down my spine is warning me to just play dead any second now.

But I am convincing myself mentally that this suffering is necessary for my growth. With something at stake, I should improve faster. Like a masochist, I start smiling at the prospect of getting hurt… I comfort myself, maybe it will not hurt that badly if I think this way… Or maybe I will just die… And then, I will wake up in the real world where everything is normal.

That is too much wishful thinking.

My breathing is getting harsher and harsher. I activate and deactivate alternately the function [Always Here] of my gift. Because my evasive maneuvers are so awkward, my sparring partner is starting to get angry.

"You bastard! Are you toying with me?" He spins his spear, and with a sweeping leg kick, he follows up with a wide swing from his spear.

I immediately know… I cannot dodge this one…

It is time to bail out I guess. I flip into the air, with his spear barely grazing me. I activate and deactivate [Always Here] once more, dodging the spear by a hair's breadth. I feign being hurt and collapse on my bottom.

Then. I play dead.

"H-hey, are you ok?" My sparring partner calls to me.

But then. A commotion occurs.

My sparring partner looks at the source of the commotion.

"I said, GET UP!"

"You fucker." Hajin's swearing catches me off-guard.

Curious, I glance at the spectacle with a single eye open.

The female instructor is tussling with a familiar face, it is Kim Hajin. He is biting the instructor's hair with his teeth while holding her arm. Damn, that's brutal…

"Ah! What are you doing!? 934… Ack! Let go! Let go! Let go!" The instructor cries for Hajin's mercy.

But. Kim Hajin is not hearing any of her crying. Sucks to be a woman with their long hair being vulnerable to others' biting.

'Gambare~ you can do it! Take her head off and use her skull as your wine cup!' I inwardly cheer in favor of Hajin.

Kim Hajin gnashes on the female instructor's hair and pulls back his head as though his life depended on it. He seems like he wants to tear off the instructor's hair.

That's brutal. But hey. We all get crazy sometimes, you know?

Before my partner knows it, I am already standing and watching the comedic display. If I have popcorn, I will be munching it with glee about now. And from the background noise, I hear this munching of popcorn.

I look around only to see Nayun having a feast for herself. "…" I ignore the crazy gal.

Meanwhile, Hajin just continues biting off the instructor's hair. I feel bad for both of them. I feel bad for Hajin because the instructor is cornering him so much both physically and mentally. I recall in the novel how the instructor is sparring with him. It is excessive for Hajin, as he is not used to combat.

Moreover, while a gun is trash to heroes, it still proves to be too dangerous for cadets even in a sparring match. Thus. Kim Hajin ends up with an instructor as a sparring partner.

Because Hajin's choice of weapon is a gun, he cannot spar with fellow cadets and can only spar with an instructor. Similarly, I feel bad for the instructor. I dread the thought of someone chewing my head.. er... hair for… as in literally chewing the hair.

"T-this is a warning! Let go! I said... LET GO!" The instructor is reaching the limits of her patience as the humiliation slowly dawns on her. She feels terrible. Why does she end up with this crazy kid?

"Y-you…!" The instructor throws a punch at Hajin knocking his daylights off.

The poor guy falls flat on the cold pavement. I come at him, aware that this might be an opportunity. "I will bring him to the infirmary, instructor." I carry him on my shoulder like a sack of rice. I see Chae Nayun's disappointed face. 

I mouth off to Nayun."Sucks to be you, slowpoke...."

I excuse myself from the intensive exercise, while smugly giving Nayun a middle finger in a sneaky manner. I don't know why. It is so fun fucking around with Chae Nayun. Maybe the thrill of death is getting too much in my head. 

I arrive by the infirmary sweating hard. My body is trash for myself to quickly tire like this. But I cannot even complain.

Surprisingly, Hajin's recovery is quite fast… faster than I imagine despite his stats being reset. I am depressed by the difference. I can only attribute it to Hajin becoming stronger than his version of the original novel. It will only take him a matter of minutes until he wakes up.

And I am not wrong as moments later after a few minutes, Hajin opens his eyes.

"Man, I am thinking you will be gone for an hour or so… Are you playing dead?"

"Oh, Hyon…" He glumly greets me. "I… I don't know… Play dead, huh? I guess I should have…"

I feel a sense of inferiority at the sight of Hajin fixing himself to the infirmary's bed. "O-ouch, the bitch struck my chin…" He touches his face consciously, a little bruise on his cheek.

"The Cube should be able to heal you just fine and dandy," I comment.

I cannot do something like that. To fight so desperately to the end despite being outclassed by several levels. If it is me, if I think it starts hurting, I will immediately play dead. I don't like pain. I am so unlike Hajin who is the type of protagonist that thrives on desperation. I envy that kind of spirit.

Kim Hajin will only become stronger just like the others. In the future, I wonder where I will be. I am effectively 17 years old, and while it doesn't match my past life's age, it is apparent that what comes with my youth is the opportunity… to become stronger… and to become a better version of myself.

I realize, can I really focus on my post relationships just like I am doing in my past life? This world after all is a brutal one, and no amount of god connection can save me if I am at gunpoint... or context-wise, at swordpoint

Hajin has a thick thigh I can hug for my entire lifetime to improve my chance of survival. There are also other thighs I can start hugging starting now. With information as my advantage, I should be at least able to secure an easier life than others.

"Pfft…" A snicker escapes my mouth. The self-contemplation really gets to me in the most sudden of circumstances. "Sorry, Hajin… I guess, I have to leave you now… The Anti-personnel Training is still in class, do you want me to take revenge for you?"

"Hah~ no thanks…" Hajin chuckles the same and gives me his blessings. "Yeah, yeah… Go now and have your ass kicked…"

This guy... Is he watching me? Well, he knows that my ass is getting kicked.

***

As Hyon Hyung leaves, Hajin comes to realize how comfortable it is to have a friend. He is reluctant to call the guy by his given first name as calling someone younger than him 'Hyung' is just ridiculous.

"What kind of parent names their son Hyung?" He ponders on the naming process of Korean parents.

Hajin contemplates the events prior. He is weak, but not so weak. Before his crazy stunt, he is kind of cornering his instructor with his Gift. On top of his body which is getting closer to Kim Chundong's original physique, he is becoming more capable.

The [Master Sharpshooter] Gift is truly powerful, and with his increasing stats, he can only grow stronger from here.

"Come to think of it, I should join a few clubs…"

Cube is not entirely a horrible place where fun is nonexistent here. There are all kinds of clubs in Cube ranging from hobbies, more combat-oriented clubs, and even games.

"I should invite Hosup and Hyon…"

Hajin already has a club in mind— the Traveling Club, Hunting Club, and Academic Club. It will not hurt if he has friends with him, so he will definitely invite Hosup and Hyon.

But. His true motive in joining these clubs is actually so that he can stay close to the main characters. It is of utter significance to him that he maintains contact with the main story.

Increasing his importance in the novel is among his objectives as the more SP he has, the safer he will be, and the faster he will achieve his goals.

He is also planning to join the Reading Club as Rachel is there, but he only has one body. Realistically, he should prioritize the clubs he wants to attend. That aside, since Nayun is no longer practicing archery, she will not be joining the Hunting Club anymore. The only reason Hajin chooses the Hunting Club is to increase his training opportunities.

"Hmmm… I guess I should give up on the Hunting Club… I will go with the Travelling Club, Academic Club, and Reading Club…" In the end, Hajin decides to devote himself to the main story.

In the meantime, he will continue on training himself. As he is in the infirmary and has no plans to attend the Anti-personnel Training any further, he decides to head for the Training Grounds to train by himself.

***

Meanwhile, I, Hyon Hyung am lying dead on the ground.

"I swear, I'd rather play dead… than be real dead…"